A new Gallup poll finds that for the first time on record, more people in the United States are smoking marijuana than cigarettes.
The poll found only 11% of Americans say they smoke cigarettes, compared with 45% in the mid-1960s, NPR reports. In contrast, 16% of Americans say they smoke marijuana, compared with just 4% in 1969. The poll found 48% of Americans today say they have tried marijuana at some point in their lives.
Americans’ attitudes about cigarettes and marijuana have changed over the years, according to Gallup Senior Scientist Dr. Frank Newport. A 2019 Gallup poll found 83% of Americans said they thought cigarettes were “very harmful” or “somewhat harmful.”
“Smoking cigarettes is clearly on the decline and is most likely to become even more of a rarity in the years ahead,” he said. “This reflects both public awareness of its negative effects and continuing government efforts at all levels to curtail its use.”
The new poll found 53% of people said they think marijuana has positive effects on those who use it. “The future of marijuana use is, I would say, somewhat up in the air, but the probability is higher that its use will increase rather than decrease,” Newport said.